Pillow Talk
by Morbid1Curiosity
Summary: As silence looms before yet another storm, Ruby can't help but worry about Weiss after they all learn that their next stop to try and defeat Salem would be Atlas. While she didn't know how to approach the girl about her issue, she forged a detailed plan on how to make Weiss spill the beans about her worries. It involved a pair of pillows and a big bag of wits!


**Author's Note:**

 **So it was a dark and rainy night when I walked through the streets of HellTurkeyville. Then a shadowy figure appeared behind me, so I reached for my pen, ready to defend myself in case it looked for trouble.**

 **It revealed itself as no other than Enigma0434, and he said that we had to settle this once and for all. I agreed, because I knew it would come to this.**

 **So we challenged each other to a fic battle to the death, and here it is, my side of it. My theme for this story being: Pillow.**

Ruby looked through the window at the outside world as she held a set of two pillows. It was dark, stars shone brightly on the sky, accompanied by the shattered moon. Of course, while the entire sight was beautiful as always, it wasn't what she focused on. No, that was less important right now.

Her focus was on the white haired girl sitting outside and alone. It was like that with her since it was announced that they had to travel to Atlas. Ever since then, Weiss was... Different. Perhaps that could be said about all of them since they last saw each other at the Beacon academy, yet there was a subtle difference before said news were official, and after.

The worst was how subtle that change was. She acted normally, laughed, talked and got annoyed at this and that per usual. She was happy that all of them were together, even if by accident. Still, accidents could have a positive outcome.

She sat there each and everyday, alone just staring at the sky or... Whatever it is she looked at. It was hard for her to be sure. While at first she thought the Schnee heiress was quite easy to figure out, almost like a walking stereotype of a rich girl. Yet there was so much more to discover about the girl, the more she learned about her.

Suddenly everything got cut, and a few months later, here they were. Together at least, yet so much different.

Why was she here, secretly staring at her through the window? Because she knew that deep down something was bugging Weiss. It wasn't hard to guess what. It's not like she kept it a secret that she got in a fight with her father and later escaped from under his nose, only to end up here. Wasn't there a word for what she was right now? Mmm... Pariah? Was that it? A person that didn't belong anywhere. Nowhere to go back to, nothing.

She bit on her knuckle at that. It was so wrong to just think about it, but it was a high possibility that Weiss was just that. Yet here she was, about to go back to the place she ran away from. Ruby was afraid of meeting with Yang and her dad after she left, but unlike the Schnee, her own family wasn't... Well, they weren't the Schnee family.

With each story, with each sad look and with each word that the heiress told, gave and said whenever she discussed her family, it was that more difficult for Ruby to believe that there might be some redeeming qualities for them. Some sort of buried happiness that could be undug and turn everything around.

Deep inside it made her sad that there were families like that, who were almost like strangers to one another. The worst was that one of said families was the Schnee family, the family of her best friend.

Best friend.

Ruby hoped that they still were best friends. She was so happy to see the girl after this long, for all three of them being together, and then at the end of it all, came Blake. It was like the happiest moment she felt for the past few months. Her team, all together.

She smiled at that, yet the sight outside, of the lonely white haired girl reminded her of Weiss once more, her thoughts focused on the issue at hand.

It was then that Ruby decided that she would make Weiss feel as welcome as she possibly could around them, their friends. Friends were like family, just a family you could choose, and not born into. Which counted, right?

So here she was, with a pair of pillows, observing the girl who sat on a wooden staircase that lead into the building they occupied, without her knowing about it. Why did she have pillows? Well, that's simple. Because they all grew, progressed. They all learned as they went along with all these obstacles. As such, Ruby was no exception.

For example her social skills improved to the point that she understood that having a conversation starter is better than not having any. It was a focusing point that perhaps could be used to get Weiss to talk about her issue. Because that was her main objective right now, since she didn't want for the girl to just bottle it all up inside of her, since that was bad.

She was about to go and encounter the Schnee girl, yet she paused. While her rhetorical skills grew, and she liked to think about herself as no longer being an awkward girl, she was going against Weiss.

She was a hard cookie to crunch, since she was born into a world of specific behaviour, etiquette and all these fancy words. While it was easy to get her off balance by annoying her, she didn't want to do that, since it was counter productive to her actual goal.

She took a deep breath and moved to leave the her hiding spot, opening the doors. "Hey Weiss!" She greeted the girl.

"Finally, Ruby. I was wondering when you'd just come and say hi instead of standing there." The Schnee girl looked over her shoulder with a soft smile.

Oh no, she was spotted. She took a deep breath to calm herself, she got this, she just needed to think of a perfectly good reason as to why she did what she did, without saying too much. "I was... Not sure if I should disturb you, since you looked so peaceful and all that." Ruby nodded, perfect excuse.

"And what are the pillows for?" Weiss's blue eyes stared into her, and she felt herself grow more nervous. It was always like this, whenever she was in the spotlight, especially of the Schnee girl. Whenever the girl's attention was fully on her, and there was no one else to distract her, she felt this way. Defenseless.

"What pillows?" She grinned, a very fake grin. Great move, she had such a great opening, and here she was, screwing this all up. Why couldn't talking to this girl come as easily as wielding her Sweetheart.

"Those that you're holding?" Weiss raised her brow at that.

"Oh these pillows! Those are for you! I mean, not all of them, just half. Which is one, because I have two." She once more nodded, another great move on her part. It was a clear showcase of her intellectual ability to do math. Half of two? One.

She wanted to groan, just facepalm or do anything. What was wrong with her, was this the reason she was so nervous about approaching Weiss through all these days, because of her acting this way?

"Well, in that case will you hand me one? Ruby are you feeling alright? You behaved strange for the last few days. Are you sure you didn't get some head injury when we fought Cinder and her lackeys?" The girl raised a brow at that. There was a clear worry in her voice, and Ruby couldn't help but to bit her lower lip.

Great, now her stupid behaviour made Weiss worried. Still she had to go deeper into this, since she started if she was to suddenly pull out, she'd just end up in an even worse spot. What a tragic position she just put herself in, without any good options left.

"I'm fine, just worried about you." She approached the Schnee girl and handed her one of the pillows. She settled the second one next to the girl and sat on it herself.

"There's nothing you need to worry about, Ruby. I'm fine, I'd say I'm as fine as I ever was for the last few months with you girls around." The white haired girl offered a smile, as if to show that she indeed shouldn't be an object of anyone's worry.

Weiss moved up to put the pillow under herself. "Still I appreciate the gesture, both with the pillow and you worrying about me." With one last smile, the Schnee looked up at the sky as she did before Ruby approached her.

Then the silence grew, and while the atlas girl looked at peace with it, the same silence made Ruby annoyed and frustrated inside. She was here to talk to her friend, yet she couldn't, she had no idea how to start...

That's right, she had a plan.

Now she had to apply said plan with fineness.

"Pillows are sure great, aren't they?!"

Perfect.

"Excuse me?" Weiss looked at her, a bit startled by her sudden outburst.

Perhaps not as perfect as it sounded inside her head before it left her mouth. "You know, it's just that pillows are a great invention." She nodded. It of course would be normal for anyone to try and dodge the bullet by trying to change the subject or something.

Nope, not with her. Once she made a move, she was in it wherever it took her, so here she was, going down this rabbit hole she dug herself with this stupid pillow topic.

The other girl tilted her head and smiled, at first amused, although that quickly changed into a more genuine smile. "I'd say there are a few inventions I would put before pillows on the importance scale, but I'll agree with you that pillows are nice."

"I mean, people don't really appreciate pillows. I know it's not like that for everyone, but they serve as so many things. You can sleep on them, clearly. But you can sit on them, when you're in bed and you got a bowl of something warm that's snackable and there's nobody around to scold you for eating snacks in bed since you'll make a mess, the pillow can make for an excellent heat...grabber thingy. You know, so you won't feel the heat of the bowl with the snack!" She continued, because why quit? She already said stupid stuff, she might as well just dwell into it. Maybe she'll at least amuse the girl.

"I think you're right, Ruby." Weiss nodded, although she wasn't sure if the other girl was humoring her for the sake of not wanting to hurt her feelings, or if she really agreed.

"Maybe it's just me. I always had a pillow around the house I could grab in case I needed some comfort. When Yang talked me into watching a scary movie it was my shield and barrier against the bad." She took a deep breath as memories of the past flooded her mind. It calmed her, as the redhead raised her eyes to look at the sky.

"Whenever I was sad or I felt lonely I always cried into a pillow. I never wanted to worry anyone, so my pillow always was there to listen to my frustration, sadness or anger. Sometimes all at once." She continued.

"Sometimes it wasn't as bad, but I was just feeling meh, so I curled into a ball, hugging a pillow to myself while all the bad thoughts flooded my mind, doing so till I fell asleep or something cheered me up." She let out a sigh, deciding that perhaps she should turn her own mind from the negatives.

"It was also a weapon, whenever Yang teased me too much I threw it at her. Sure, it didn't do much, but it was satisfying when she got a pillow in her face." She giggled and heard the other girl do the same.

"I just wanted to say that pillows are always there to comfort us, yet we never really pay attention how often they are with us in both happy and sad moments." Ruby shrugged, she long forgot what her point was, so at this point she did what she did best, improvised.

"I understand, Ruby. You're right." Weiss said with a smile as she glanced at her. Once she looked back at the sky, she continued. "Ruby? Would you like to be my pillow?"

The redhead blinked in surprise. "Your... Pillow?" She tilted her head, a bit confused.

"Mmmhm." Weiss moved to the side and curled, till she was laying with most of her legs on top of the pillow she was offered, and her head laying on Ruby's lap.

"When I'll feel tired, will you be there for me to offer me comfort?" The Schnee tilted her head to look up at her. The reaper gulped as she saw those blue eyes.

"If I'll be in need of protection, will you be my shield? Will you cover me from all that's bad, from all that i cannot escape." Weiss raised one hand to gently brush her fingers against the redhead's cheek. Ruby wasn't sure why, but she gently placed her own hand on top of Weiss's.

"When I'll feel bad or sad, frustrated or angry, will you be there for me to comfort me, to understand me, to endure it with me?" Now not only her fingers, but Ruby felt the Schnee girl's entire palm resting against her cheek.

"While I fight, will you stand by my side? Will you be there for me once I engage whatever enemy in whatever fight i partake. Will I be able to know that you got my back." Weiss's thumb gently brushed against her lips which made her throat grow dry.

"Yet the most important part is, if you say yes to all of these, will you allow me to be your pillow in case any of that occurs on your side. Will you let me be your shield, your weapon. Will you pour your worries, your sadness and your anger on me. Will you let me be your pillow?" Weiss closed her eyes as her hand moved away from Ruby's face. She tilted her head back to the side, no longer looking up at her.

The redhead was stunned by all this. It was the peacefulness behind Weiss's words, her face and voice, so beautiful. While it might made her sound corny, combined with the colors she wore, white and blue, it made her seem like a beautiful snowy night. Undisturbed, with fresh snow everywhere.

"W-Weiss I'm... Not sure what to say." She never in her life would expect such an outcome from a pillow topic. Never, not even if she talked to Nora. Perhaps plenty of craziness could occur but.. That was perhaps the point. This wasn't crazy or random. It felt so... Important.

"I know why you came here. You're worried because we're going back to Atlas, and I just escaped the clutches of my father." The Schnee let out a sigh.

"But I don't care, I won't let anyone or anything separate me from you girls. I don't care what we're going against and where we're going. You're all my family, my real family that I never had, and I'll be there for each and every one of you. I'll protect you and I'll fight by your side till the end and till whatever outcome will come from our actions." Something... Sparkled? Down near Weiss's face. Was the girl crying? Ruby wasn't sure what to do, as she didn't know if she should disturb the girl while she talked about all these important for her things.

Weiss curled up a bit more, hugging herself. "But you see Ruby, I never had a pillow like that. I always just held it tightly inside of me, I had to. I couldn't show any weakness. It's not how a Schnee acted."

The girl sniffed, as she looked up at her once more. Her eyes filled with tears, yet she had a smile on her lips. "So thank you Ruby, for everything."

"Weiss? I'll be that. I mean, I'll be your pillow. I'll be your pillow and you'll be my pillow." She smiled, it felt silly to call it that, but perhaps that was the point, to soften the meaning behind it. To make it less awkward.

The white haired girl nodded, as she reached with her hand to clear the tears from her eyes, as she sat up. Yet she didn't sat all the way up, no. She leaned towards the redhead and Ruby could feel the other girl's head gently rest against her shoulder.

"I'm glad, Ruby. Your words made me a very happy person. Whatever happens know that... You make me happy. Thank you." Weiss said and remained silent after that.

The redhead wasn't sure what to do about this new position, so she simply rested her own head against that of the Schnee girl. It all felt so strange, she was here for a completely different reason yet... Perhaps this was also the solution she sought, after all the girl did open up.

"Ruby, I think I'll go wash my face. I don't want for anyone to see me like this, I'd get annoyed with the questions... Or teasing. I'll be back to join you once more, so if you could wait for me." The heiress smiled, and Ruby just nodded at that.

As the Schnee got up she sighed. "I just wish we could have a proper date to celebrate this, although with our current situation I doubt we'll find the time, or if it would be wise to do that." She shook her head.

"Yeah." Ruby nodded at that, and only once she heard the footsteps of the girl going inside, and the door closing behind her, did something click in her brain. "Wait what?!" She looked behind her, yet it was too late, the girl was already gone.

"Date?" She asked out loud. Did she just... What just happened? Was that pillow word some sort of code? Did she just get a girlfriend? Did Weiss just confess to her, and she did that as well without even knowing?

She groaned as she let her body fall back into a half lying posiiton. Someone could tell her she was getting a girlfriend, so she could at least enjoy the moment more properly!

She sighed, but a soft smile blossomed on her lips. Her entire body started to feel warm and fuzzy, as that soft smile from before grew more and more.

Pillow, she'd be Weiss's pillow, and Weiss would be her pillow. While it sounded silly, it felt so right.

She sat up and looked at the shattered moon. Who knew pillows would lead to all of this.

 **Author Note 2:**

 **So yeah, this is a challenge I decided to do with Enigma0434, so be sure to check out his side of this, although I can assure you that he's busy with stuff so that might not be as soon as you think. Still, the outcome is hopefully good for everyone, since people will just get two additional Whiterose fics.**

 **It was a simple challenge, and one I already did with someone else (my "Pocket Knife" story), yet this time the theme was to make a story around the word "Pillow" so yeah here we are.**

 **You judge if I did it justice.**

 **Also if anyone who reads this (Or my stories) and also writes his own stories wants to do a challenge of sorts with me? I'm game.**

 **Doesn't need to be a whiterose, I can do plenty of ships.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story. It was some time since i wrote a oneshot, and ho'boy am I happy v5 ended and we have a break, so i can put my oneshots in a different spot and not the same stupid academy.**

 **Yes I know, I purposely made the title as it was.**

 **Also if you're here for Whiterose and you don't know who Enigma0434 is? Shame on you. Search his pen name and be amazed by his Whiterose goodness. Do it! NAO!**

 **As always if you enjoyed or found something you want to point out, you're ordered to leave a review/comment or else I'll eat cookies with no milk being involved. Yeah I'm serious about this.**


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